Norse mythology
Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian peoples, including those who settled on Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. Norse mythology is the best-preserved version of the older common Germanic paganism, which also includes the closely related Anglo-Saxon mythology. Germanic mythology, in its turn, developed from an earlier Indo-European mythology. Norse mythology is a collection of beliefs and stories shared by Northern Germanic tribes. It had no one set of doctrinal beliefs. The mythology was orally transmitted in the form of poetry and our knowledge about it is mainly based on the Eddas and other medieval texts written down during and after Christianization. Some aspects of Norse mythology passed into Scandinavian folklore and have survived to modern day times. Others have recently been reinvented or reconstructed as Germanic neopaganism. The mythology also remains as an inspiration in literature (see Norse mythological influences on later literature) as well as on stage productions and movies. The Norse mythology is a subset or root of the wide Germanic mythology. Deities Norse mythology has numerous divine figures among it's accounts, with Odin, Thor and Loki been the most prominent, and also most used Norse gods in popular culture, such as comic books, television and film. Among the many Norse gods and goddesses there are: Major deities *Odin *Thor *Loki *Tyr *Balder *Heimdall *Njord *Freyr *Freya *Frigg Family Tree of the Main Deities Aesir Vanir Items Main article: Items in Norse mythology Symbols Triquetra The triquetra is a knot-like formation with three ends, commonly shown interlaced around a circle. The symbol is also known as the symbol of charm, and is used in the depiction of several norse and scandaninavian items such as the Mjölnir. The Triquetra was heavily used by Norse pagans, as they used articles like pendants resembling the Mjolnir with a Triquetra symbol crafted on it. Mjölnir The Mjölnir is Thor's hammer. The symbol is used for protection. Valknut The Valknut is a symbol of Odin. Races *Æsir *Elf *Norns *Vanir *Valkyries The Nine Worlds Main article: Norse cosmology In Norse mythology, the nine worlds also known as nine realms, are planets or massive city-like places located throughout the cosmos, connected by the world three known as Yggdrasil. The interdimensional rainbow-like path known as rainboraBifröst , bridges Asgard with other realms. *Asgard *Midgard *Álfheimr *Jötunheimr *Muspelheim *Niðavellir *Niflheim *Svartálfaheim *Vanaheimr Other locations *Valhalla *Bifröst *Utgard Myths * Norse myth of creation In Popular Culture Main article: Norse mythology in popular culture Comics Norse mythology has been heavily used by Marvel Comic's as source material for various of their storylines in the Thor comic books. Not to forget, Marvel Comic's used Norse mythology's deities like Thor and Loki to create their own super heroic and villanous versions of the characters respectively. A very popular comic series called "Valhalla" made by the Danish Peter Madsen detailed many of the stories and legends of the Norse Mythology.http://www.petermadsen.info/pages/vh/valhalla-eng.html Music Some bands are influenced by Norse Mythology and make music about it. Examples are: *Manowar *Amon Amarth *Týr *Heidevolk *Therion Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" is greatly inspired by Norse Mythology. Videos Norse Mythology 1 Creation of the Universe|Creation of the Universe Norse Mythology 2 Creation of the World|Creation of the World Norse Mythology 3 Day Night, Sun Moon|Day Night, Sun Moon Norse Mythology 4 Golden Age of Asgard|Golden Age of Asgard Norse Mythology 5 Gods of Asgard|Gods of Asgard Norse Mythology 6 Yggdrasil & Norns|Yggdrasil & Norns See Also External Links *The Norse Mythology Blog References Category: Norse mythology Category:Mythology by Culture